Open Spaces

The Partners staff was all smiles during this group shot back in 2006. (Photo: USFWS)

Officially established by the Service in 1987, the program gives technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes who volunteer to help meet the habitat needs of our Federal Trust Species.

The Partners Program helps with projects in all habitat types that conserve or restore native vegetation, hydrology, and soils associated with imperiled ecosystems. Some of these include: longleaf pine, bottomland hardwoods, tropical forests, native prairies, marshes, rivers and streams, or otherwise provide an important habitat requisite for a rare, declining or protected species.

Locally-based field biologists work one-on-one with private landowners and other partners to plan, implement, and monitor their projects. Partners Program field staff help landowners find other sources of funding and guide them through the permitting process, as necessary. These personal relationships are one of the main reasons why the program has lasted as long as it has.

Growth has been tremendous during the past 25 years, and Partners for Fish and Wildlife now provides assistance to all 50 states and U.S. territories.

It's gained national recognition as a vanguard in the new era of cooperative conservation based on the premise that fish and wildlife conservation is a responsibility shared by citizens and the government.